Family in Falcon receives mysterious seeds from China

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- A package of mysterious seeds from China were sent to a family in Falcon on Tuesday.

After checking the mail for the evening, Gregory Pearl noticed a package he didn't order. "It was fully legitimate, with my name and our address," he explained.

The package labeled as "rings" had a return address of Suzhou JiangSu, China, and when Pearl shook it, he knew it wasn't jewlery inside.

Pearl said, "when I shook the package, it sounded like a baby rattle, so I knew it wasn't a ring, which was it was labeled as."

His wife, Summer, had been paying attention to the news and heard of suspicious packages with alleged China origins. She warned her husband not to open the packages and call the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

Mr. Pearl said, "That's when we just left it in the garage and then called the Colorado Department of Agriculture to see what the next steps were."

The state agency said they were getting added to a list and someone from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would reach out when they knew what to do with the seeds.

This unknown package is among hundreds sent to Americans all over the country. In a statement on their website, the USDA says, "USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is working closely with the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection, other federal agencies, and State departments of agriculture to investigate the situation."

They are urging people who get packages like the Pearls not to plant the seeds or throw them away.

The Pearls are keeping theirs in a zip-locked bag and in their garage.

"It's just better to be safe than sorry, you know? Uncertain times, there's no use trying to play a game," Pearl explained.